Bay, rye and hazelnut loaf cake with poached rhubarb

Bay, rye and hazelnut loaf cake with poached rhubarb

Kathy Slack’s rustic hazelnut loaf cake is as welcome for dessert as it is with a cuppa. Bay adds a floral note, while serving the bake with poached rhubarb and crème fraîche turns it into a delightful late-winter pudding.

Bay, rye and hazelnut loaf cake with poached rhubarb

In the mood for a savoury bake? Try Kathy’s leek bread and butter pudding.

Kathy is a food writer who has become renowned for her love of vegetables. Not only does she grow them in her garden but she also creates recipes and hosts monthly supper clubs from the harvests, as well as teaching cookery classes. Read her Substack, Tales From The Veg Patch, or follow her on Instagram @gluts_gluttony

  • Serves icon Serves 8
  • Time icon Prep time 25 min, plus at least 4 hours marinating. Cook time 1 hour, plus 15 min cooling

Kathy Slack’s rustic hazelnut loaf cake is as welcome for dessert as it is with a cuppa. Bay adds a floral note, while serving the bake with poached rhubarb and crème fraîche turns it into a delightful late-winter pudding.

In the mood for a savoury bake? Try Kathy’s leek bread and butter pudding.

Kathy is a food writer who has become renowned for her love of vegetables. Not only does she grow them in her garden but she also creates recipes and hosts monthly supper clubs from the harvests, as well as teaching cookery classes. Read her Substack, Tales From The Veg Patch, or follow her on Instagram @gluts_gluttony

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
558kcals
Fat
34g (14g saturated)
Protein
10g
Carbohydrates
50g (30g sugars)
Fibre
4.8g
Salt
0.7g

Before you start

Don’t waste it The poaching syrup from the rhubarb is delicious as a cordial or mixed into a gin and tonic or glass of prosecco. It will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or the freezer for 3 months.

 

Before you start

Don’t waste it The poaching syrup from the rhubarb is delicious as a cordial or mixed into a gin and tonic or glass of prosecco. It will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or the freezer for 3 months.

 

Ingredients

  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 100g rye flour
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 150g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 180g salted butter, softened
  • 180g golden caster sugar
  • 10 fresh bay leaves, 7 very finely chopped, 3 left whole
  • 3 medium eggs, whisked
  • 75g greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar
  • Crème fraîche to serve

For the rhubarb

  • 250g caster sugar
  • 1 large orange
  • 400g forced rhubarb, cut into 3cm batons

Specialist kit

  • 900g loaf tin
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. Start with the rhubarb. Find a wide shallow pan for which you have a lid (a deep-sided frying pan is ideal). Pour the sugar and 300ml cold water into the pan. Use a peeler to peel the zest from the orange and add this to the pan, then halve the orange and squeeze the juice into the mixture as well. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat as soon as it begins to boil.
  2. Add the rhubarb batons to the hot syrup, arranging them so they sit in a single layer. Cover with a lid and leave overnight or for 4 hours at a minimum. The warm liquid will very gently cook the rhubarb so it becomes soft without losing its shape. It will also, magically, become pinker.
  3. Now for the cake. Line the loaf tin with baking paper and heat the oven to 195°C/175°C fan/gas 5½.
  4. Put the flours, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in a bowl and stir together. Whizz half the hazelnuts in a herb chopper or the small bowl of a food processor until they resemble coarse sand. (Take care not to over process or they’ll turn greasy and claggy.) Add the ground hazelnuts to the flour bowl. This is your dry mix.
  5. In another bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and finely chopped bay leaves until light and fluffy. Gradually add the whisked eggs, beating thoroughly before adding the next glug. If you fear this mixture might curdle, add a spoonful of the dry mix with each glug of egg.
  6. Fold the rest of the dry mix into the buttery bowl. Stir in the yogurt and milk to loosen the batter, then spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and smooth out the top. Press the whole bay leaves into the top and sprinkle over the remaining chopped hazelnuts and the demerara sugar.
  7. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when pushed into the centre. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve in slices with a spoon of drained poached rhubarb see Don’t Waste It) and a good dollop of crème fraîche.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
558kcals
Fat
34g (14g saturated)
Protein
10g
Carbohydrates
50g (30g sugars)
Fibre
4.8g
Salt
0.7g

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Leeks

Leek bread and butter pudding

Kathy Slack’s leek bread and butter pudding makes for a...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Brownies

Chocolate rye brownies with bay and almonds

Gill Meller’s brownie recipe dares to be different with rye...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Rhubarb

Honeyed mascarpone tart with ovenpoached rhubarb

This honey tart is sweet and creamy, with a mascarpone...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Blood orange recipes

Blood orange loaf cake

This gorgeous loaf cake is a celebration of all things...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Loaf cakes

Salted caramel loaf cake

A couple of secret ingredients and a simple frosting transform...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Crumbles

Rhubarb and caramelised hazelnut crumbles

These rhubarb and caramelised hazelnuts make gorgeous individual desserts and...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.